Knife rack



Feb. 11, 1930. L. B. TIMMONS 1,746,503

KNIFE RACK Filed March 29, 1929 if a J F J77U677f05" Patented Feb. 11, 1930 LEVIN B. TIMMONS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND KNIFE RACK Application filed March 29, 1929. Serial No. 350,908.

My invention relates to racks for supporting knives and is primarily intended for kitchen use.

The essential objects of my invention are to protect individuals from injury by accidentally striking the blade of the knife; to normally maintain the handle spaced from the rack so as to be conveniently grasped; to afford accommodation for knives having 1 different lengths of blade; and to attain these ends in a structure possessing a minimum of parts and inexpensive to construct.

To the above ends essentially my invention consists in such parts and in such combinations of parts as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification,

Figure l is a front perspective view of my rack,

Figure 2, a central vertical section of the same, and

Figure 8, a transverse section taken on line 33 of Figure 1.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the views.

My rack includes a casing composed prefcrably of thin sheet metal bent up from a blank sheet into an oblong back 6 with lateral forwardly directed sides 7 terminating in inturned guard flanges 8. A rest 10 for the knives, formed from a bendable metallic blank, consists of an oblong plate 11 of a width to laterally abut against the sides 7 of the 5 casing. and has flat upper and lower end portions 12- and 13 respectively fixed by solder or otherwise to the corresponding front face portions of the back 6 of the casing. Perforations 15 and 16 in the plate portion 12 and the casing back respectively register with each other to an opening adapted to receive a. suspension nail or hook. Intermediate the portions 12 and 13 the material of the plate 11 is bent to form a plurality of hollow forwardly directed angular shoulders 18. In

this instance three of these shoulders constitute the series. Each shoulder comprises a forwardly directed and slightly downwardly inclined top or supporting portion 19, and

a downwardly directed rearwardly inclined shield portion 20 disposed at an obtus angle with relation to the portion 19, and at an acute angle relatively to the casing back 6 from which its lower end is spaced, as at 22. The portions 19 of the lower two shoulders are bent from the lower ends of the shield portions 20. The lowermost of the shield portions merges in the portion 31 of the plate, and the uppermost of the supporting portions merge in the portion 12 of the plate. Apices of the shoulders 18 are engaged and overlapped by the guard flanges 8. Each of the shoulder portions 19 is provided with a centrally positioned longitudinally disposed slot 23.

In using the rack the blade of the knife is inserted loosely through a slot 23 and the adjacent flat or blunt end of the handle rests upon the inclined portion 19 of the shoulder thereby imparting an outward inclination of the knife handle, making the latter easy to grasp. A knife 25' so positioned is shown in broken lines in Figure 2. If, however, the knife blade is of considerable length the space 22 next below the shoulder supporting the knife handle enables the blade end to pass therethrough, which is another important function of my device. An important function of the shoulder portions 20 is the protection afforded thereby against 'acci-. dental injury or cutting of the hand upon the blades of the knife by the user or bystander, especially in a dim light.

The small number of parts and their facile formation contributes to lightness and inex- $5 pensiveness without diminishing the strength of the structure.

I claim In a knife rack, a back, forwardly directed sides, inturned flanges upon the sides, horizontal transversel angular hollow shoulders carried by the bach' comprising forwardly directed supporting upper portions engaging the sides and flanges, and provided with longitudinal slots, and downwardly directed rearwardly inclined shield portions spaced at their lower ends from the back, said shield portions being cooperable with said flanges to resist strain on the removal of an implement from the said slots, the apices of said shoulders being engaged by the overlapping the said flanges.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

LEVIN B. TIMMONS. 

